Layer 4

Procedural: How to do X

How should the system or operator perform this task?

Canonical path	`procedural/`
Trigger	Runbooks, checklists, repeatable workflows, command sequences, playbooks.
Stores	Actionable steps with prerequisites, commands, validation, rollback, and owners.
Avoid	One-time event notes and long reference documents.
Lifecycle	Update in place when the process changes; link major changes to decisions.

Runbooks and repeatable work

Procedural memory should let an operator execute a task without re-deriving the sequence. It is not a transcript. It is a maintained operating method.

Good entries	Build steps, release checklists, Janitor procedures, sync repair, benchmark rerendering.
Decision discipline	Link major process changes to decisions/ so operators can see why the runbook changed.
Validation	Every runbook needs a done condition and a rollback or recovery path when failure is plausible.

Worked runbook template

---
type: procedural
owner: memory-operator
last_verified: YYYY-MM-DD
related_decisions: [0003, 0005]
---
# Goal
# Preconditions
# Steps
# Validation
# Rollback
# Links

Procedure smell tests

How to keep runbooks executable

Command is copyable.Use exact commands or exact UI paths where possible.

Inputs are named.Declare required files, credentials, branches, and environment variables.

Result is observable.Write the validation step as a concrete test, not a feeling.

Change history is linked.When the method changes for architectural reasons, link the ADR.